


bulletproof - reed900

by angelic_bastard



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Badass Upgraded Connor | RK900, Canon-Typical Violence, Detroit Evolution, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/F, Gavin Reed is Bad at Feelings, Gavin Reed is a Little Shit, Gavin Reed-centric, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Inspired by Octopunk Media's Detroit: Evolution Fan Film, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Multi, Partners in Crime, Post-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Slow Burn, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Work In Progress, android-phobia if that's a thing, gavin has one brain cell, kind of a crack fic, minor canon divergence for the plot, mlm/wlw solidarity, perceived love triangle, sorry there's not a lot of josh in this one, the fbi sucks, there are pets in this fanfic, trigger warnings will be in the beginning notes please stay safe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:33:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27596900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelic_bastard/pseuds/angelic_bastard
Summary: Every single eye was on Gavin and, more specifically, the shiny new android trailing behind him as soon as the glass doors to Fowler’s office closed.It was like stepping directly into a spotlight, and Gavin resented it.Despite popular opinion, Gavin didn’t like attention. The amount of times he’d gone off in the precinct definitely contradicted this, but he couldn’t help his short temper.Gavin surprisingly didn’t often go looking for trouble, it was more like trouble found him.Case in point, RK900.
Relationships: Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Upgraded Connor | RK900 & Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this is my first official work on ao3 so feedback is very much appreciated! feel free to give kudos and comments if you enjoy. this fic will include canon-typical violence, language, mentions of drug/alcohol abuse, internalized homophobia, and canon-typical mistreatment of androids. any other trigger warnings will be included in this notes section at the beginning of the chapter, so if you're uncomfortable with any mentioned subjects please skip the chapter or avoid this fic and stay safe!

“This is RK900. He’s with the FBI.”

Gavin did his best not to do a double take at the _thing_ standing in front of him. Revolution or not, Gavin still had a hard time applying “human” pronouns to androids. And the one standing in front of him was, well… 

Infuriatingly good looking. Like, Ken doll standard.

He could see the faint resemblance between the new android and Connor, with similarly set eyes and practically the same fucking hairstyle. That was about where the similarities ended.

For one, the deep-set pair of eyes staring back were _blue._ The fluorescent light of Fowler’s office reflected in them oddly, seeming to switch between a silvery-white and icy blue. The light also revealed that the android’s hair was not the same dark brown as Connor’s, but black. It's dark hair seemed more disheveled and unkempt than Connor’s usually-neat hair. 

The android’s features were angular, like they were chiseled from marble. It had a jawline sharp enough to cut diamonds and high, model-esque cheekbones. The spinning LED at its temple was a bright red, starkly contrasting its fair skin. 

“Why’s it broken?” Gavin asked, gritting his teeth. Leave it to him to be stuck with a busted android.

Fowler made a face. The sort of “watch your mouth” face he made when Gavin was getting on his nerves.

“ _It’s_ not.”

Gavin’s eyes flickered away from Fowler’s face and back to the android’s LED, before settling on its cold eyes.

It was almost like the android was staring straight through him, or more accurately, like Gavin was standing in the way of a target. It might have been the light playing tricks on Gavin’s eyes, but he could have sworn at that moment that the android’s eyes were glowing. He wasn’t sure what exactly he was expecting to find, and it was probably because of prolonged exposure to Connor’s puppy eyes, but Gavin saw absolutely nothing behind the android’s eyes. 

He heaved a sigh and spared a glance back at Fowler’s face.

There it was.

The pure, unadulterated expression of “don’t fuck this up or you’re fired.” Classic.

“Fuckin’ hell..” Gavin muttered under his breath before begrudgingly offering a hand to shake.

The android’s moonlight-colored eyes narrowed microscopically before it slowly raised a gloved hand to shake Gavin’s

The first thing Gavin noticed was how _fucking cold_ the android’s hands were. Granted, androids didn’t really need to be warm and only a few models were equipped with temperature control to boot, but _Jesus_.

Gavin was trying his best, he really was. But he just _had_ to make a snide comment.

“Nice meeting you, tin can.”

At this, the android’s grip tightened around Gavin’s hand.

Painfully.

Gavin was pretty sure he could feel some of his bones straining in protest and his breath caught in his throat before he yanked his hand away as hard as he could. He idly rubbed at the now-aching bones of his hand, looking back at the android in front of him.

He was met with a predatory gaze.

“The pleasure’s all mine, Detective Reed.”  
_Woah._

As if the android’s uncanny appearance wasn’t enough, its voice _definitely_ caught Gavin off-guard. Again, he could vaguely hear the inflections that he usually heard in Connor’s excitable voice, but it was different. RK900’s voice was a low, almost gravelly timbre, cut with a mechanical undertone of static. 

Gavin felt his face turn slightly warmer and his eyes lingered on RK900’s face for a moment before he turned back to Fowler.

“I still don’t get why I need a partner now. I’ve been perfectly content working by myself for the past two years. And of all things, why a-”  
“Yeah, spare me. “Why an android?” Fowler interrupted. “Listen Gavin, I know you’re capable of doing better than this. To put it bluntly, you’ve been slacking off. Connor and Hank got along fine and made some great progress in their last few cases, so I don’t see why you can’t at least give it a shot.”

Gavin held his tongue. This wasn’t the first time Fowler had argued with him about getting a partner, but it _was_ the first time he’d even mentioned an android. At this point, he knew better than to protest.

He also knew better than risking an argument that could get Fowler in bad with the Feds. Perkins was enough of an asshole the last time they’d met.

Gavin sighed, pinching the scarred bridge of his nose and taking a deep breath.

“Alright, fine. Whatever. But this doesn’t mean I have to be best pals with it.”

Fowler looked surprised, but just nodded.

“Right. RK900, you are to assist Detective Reed with the recent Deviant homicides. Make sure he stays on task. Don’t make me regret placing my faith in you.” He said, turning toward the android.

“Of course, Captain Fowler.” RK900 replied, calmly.

“You’re dismissed.”

Every single eye was on Gavin and, more specifically, the shiny new android trailing behind him as soon as the glass doors to Fowler’s office closed. It was like stepping directly into a spotlight, and Gavin resented it. Despite popular opinion, Gavin didn’t like attention. The amount of times he’d gone off in the precinct definitely contradicted this, but he couldn’t help his short temper.

Gavin surprisingly didn’t often go looking for trouble, it was more like trouble found him.

Case in point, RK900.

Gavin caught the observant eyes of Connor and Hank, with the former midway into a wave and the latter preoccupied with a burger. Both of their movements halted, with Connor raising his brows quizzically and Hank looking equally confused. They shared a look and glanced back at Gavin, concerned.

Fuck it, he didn’t have time to explain this to them now.

Passing his desk, Gavin locked eyes with Tina. Her eyes widened almost immediately and Gavin had to repress an exasperated sigh. _Tell me about it._ She fixed him with her usual sympathetic look, as if trying to say “Keep calm, you got this.” from across the bullpen.

There was no way in hell he was gonna make it through this without more caffeine.  
Gavin made a beeline for the breakroom, only sparing one glance behind him to see RK900 stood around his desk, preoccupied with whatever was on the projected monitor.

“You coming or what, tin can?” Gavin hollered, causing the android to look over with an annoyed expression before walking over. 

Even its _walk_ was perfect in that artificial way. The android’s broad shoulders were squared, its posture giving it an air of superiority with the way it held its head high, walking around with its long legs like it owned the damn place.

The air of superiority was what always pissed Gavin off the most. It seemed like nearly every android knew how perfect they were compared to humans, and like they were just waiting in the wings for them to fail so the plastic assholes could just replace them. Gavin knew damn well how advanced Connor was when they first met, and he wasn’t about to let the next generation threaten his career, not when it was the only thing he’d gotten right.

He refused to allow this... _thing_ to have the upper hand.

RK900 stood nearby, leaning on the counter like some pretentious douchebag.

That was enough.

“How about instead of going through all my shit, you make yourself useful and get me a coffee? Surely the world’s most “advanced” android can manage that, at least.” Gavin said, beginning to lose his patience over how fucking smug RK900 was acting.

It turned, cool eyes darting to meet Gavin’s in a glare.

“Excuse me?” The android replied in its gravelly, mechanical voice.

Gavin took a step towards it.

“I said, get me a coffee, dipshit.” He responded, impassive.

The android’s shoulders rose as it took a deep breath and stood, retrieving a paper coffee cup and filling it at the machine. Gavin couldn’t help but grin to himself. After a moment, the android turned around and walked toward Gavin, stopping in front of him and holding out the freshly steaming cup.

Finally, an android who knew their fucking place.

Gavin reached for the cup.

Which immediately prompted RK900 to let go of the cup, sending it plummeting to the tile floor and spilling hot coffee all over Gavin’s boots. 

“You piece of shit!” Gavin shouted, throwing a punch at the android’s stupid Ken doll face.

The android raised its gloved hand and caught Gavin’s fist. Fucking _caught it_ midair.

In an instant, Gavin attempted to recoil and take his hand back, which caused RK900 to sharply twist his arm, whip him around and pin him face first into the nearest wall, with Gavin’s right arm crushed between his back and the android’s torso.

The left side of Gavin’s face was squished against the wall and he grunted as his body connected with the drywall. It felt like his entire body was in a vice between the absolute force of the android and the solid wall in front of him. He was vaguely aware that he tasted blood, most likely a result from the sudden force causing his lip to connect with his teeth.

“You should really show me some respect.” RK900 growled, the static in its voice menacing. Gavin felt the android’s hot breath against the shell of his ear and involuntarily shivered.

“Fuck. You.” Gavin spat, grinding his teeth.

Within the blink of an eye, Gavin heard a metallic _swish_ and felt something cold and sharp pressing into the side of his throat.

“Be careful, _detective_ ;” RK900 whispered, saying the title like it was a vile word.

“I am the most advanced killing machine that Cyberlife has to offer.”

Gavin felt the tip of what must have been a knife dig just slightly into the delicate skin at his neck, causing him to inhale unsteadily before the blade withdrew, and with it, the android.

Gavin rubbed at the place where the knife had almost broken skin, his right arm feeling heavy as the circulation began to return. Rolling his shoulder, Gavin brought his fingers to his bleeding lip, recoiling as the minor injury stung at the contact. He exhaled sharply, heart beating frantically.

_Note to self: Don’t piss RK900 off._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello here's chapter two :D  
> comments/kudos are appreciated, they let me know if you're enjoying my story!
> 
> (also nines had a different outfit but i changed it because it felt out of place, so apologies for any weird descriptions around that. not 100% sure how to edit it to make more sense tbh)

And thus marked the beginning of the longest work hour of Gavin’s life.

He already felt a nagging pain at his right temple and ground his teeth together before taking a sip of his fourth cup of coffee. It tasted like shit, but he elected to ignore it. If anything, it gave him something else to focus on.

RK900 was, surprisingly enough, very distracting.

It wasn’t like the android was talkative, that much was evidently not the machine’s forte. RK900 was more visually distracting. Gavin found it difficult to take his eyes away from the human-shaped machine, who was currently laser focused on reading through case files. 

Quickly after their earlier encounter in the breakroom, RK900 had gone ahead and made itself comfortable at a desk adjacent to Gavin’s. Granted, it didn’t really take much for the android to settle in aside from a quick interface with the projected monitor.

The android’s movements were the most distracting factor. It moved quickly and fluidly, like a fish in water. As much as Gavin hated to admit it, the machine was efficient. He had been watching its progress, seeing the android complete several reports within the span of thirty minutes. 

Of course, he’d been observing with care. Gavin was pretty sure the android knew what he was doing, but regardless, he counted the seconds while he stole glances at the android’s monitor. He sort of made a game out of it, timing himself to see how much information he could glean from RK900’s progress before the android could take notice.

If RK900  _ did  _ notice Gavin’s watchful eyes, it didn’t let on to the fact.

Throughout the past hour, Gavin had noticed two things; One, the android’s LED never turned blue. It was almost always in a state of red, only switching to yellow every once and awhile before cycling back. Gavin was pretty sure that wasn’t normal, considering Connor’s LED was almost always blue and only turned yellow or red when he was thinking or stressed.

The second thing Gavin had noticed was the heavy silence. In the previous instances that Fowler had assigned (or attempted to assign) a new partner to Gavin, they’d effectively chatted his ear off within the first ten or so minutes. However, RK900 had not made a single sound ever since their earlier encounter. Gavin was reluctant to even call  _ that _ a conversation, since it was primarily RK900 responding to Gavin’s egging-on. 

So, essentially they were strangers.

Gavin wasn’t really upset with this, of course. Rather, he was perfectly comfortable with the circumstances. Gavin had never called himself a very social person, it was a miracle that he’d even managed to befriend Tina. How he’d managed to remain (at least slightly) civil with Connor and Hank was a complete mystery.

He just felt like it was strange. He was aware that they  _ should  _ be talking, in order to maximize efficiency and split up the workload evenly. However, Gavin was too stubborn (and perhaps proud) to be the one that started any form of conversation with the android.

Admittedly, Gavin was getting bored of the silence.

He stood from his desk and walked across the bullpen to Connor and Hank’s adjoining desks. RK900 didn’t even look up at Gavin’s departure.

Connor glanced up first.

“My life officially sucks.” Gavin announced, taking a seat unceremoniously on a clean spot of Connor’s desk.

“Hello, Detective Reed. I assume the meeting between you and RK900 was... unsuccessful?” Connor replied, choosing his words carefully.  
“No shit. We’re not even talking.”

“Wonder whose fault that is.” Hank quipped, not looking up from whatever he was working on. Gavin raised his middle finger before returning his attention to Connor, hoping for some actually helpful input.

“No offense, but I believe Hank might have a point. You aren’t exactly the friendliest person, Gavin.” The android responded, fidgeting with a coin in his hand.

Gavin heaved a sigh. 

“Yeah yeah, so what do I do? This is gonna be fucking awkward if I can’t even talk to it, how am I even supposed to work with the tin can?”

“For one, I would suggest calling him something other than “tin can”, and maybe not referring to RK900 as an “it”. That might be a good place to start.” Connor offered, head cocked slightly to the side.  _ He even acts like a puppy.  _

Gavin rolled his eyes, but nodded.

“Alright, I’ll try but no promises. Also, what’s up with that light thing of it- his?” He asked, correcting himself reluctantly before pointing to his right temple.

Connor hummed, his own LED turning yellow as he seemed to be thinking.

“Well, usually our LEDs change with our status or “moods”, indicating our stress levels and activities. RK900 could just be processing a lot of information, or may be stressed at his change in position.”

Gavin paused.

“What do you mean by “change in position?” I mean, I know he’s with the FBI or whatever, but what exactly does he  _ do? _ ”

Connor seemed to be thinking again before he replied, looking up at Gavin curiously.   
“Captain Fowler didn’t tell you?”

Gavin huffed, shaking his head.  _ Obviously. _

Connor spun in his swivel chair, now facing Gavin.

“RK900 was designed to be my successor, so he was designed to be smarter, faster, and stronger than I was. At the time he was designed, I was still functioning as a deviant hunter. I would imagine he functions in the same way. One moment.”

Connor’s eyes closed, his LED a spinning yellow circle.

It didn’t take long before Connor opened his eyes again, LED back to a placid blue.   
“My suspicions were correct. RK900 is a deviant hunter, but a more extreme one”   
“How “extreme” are we talking here?” Gavin asked.

Connor hesitated.

“Extreme” meaning he actively tracks and kills deviants. He is addressed officially as “The Neutralizer,” much as I was addressed as “The Negotiator.”

Gavin sighed, pinching his nose.

“Great, so I’m stuck with a murder-bot? I guess that would explain a lot.”

Hank snorted from his adjacent desk.   
“Sucks to be you, Reed.”

“Fuck off, Hank.” Gavin replied, before another question came to mind. “Wait, how did you get that information? The thing has a file already or something?”

Connor wrinkled his nose.

“Yes,  _ he _ does. However, there was no need to go through the FBI’s database and I couldn’t even if I wanted to, since I don’t have the authorization.”   
That only made Gavin more confused.

“Okay, so how’d you learn all that shit?”   
Connor smiled brightly.   
“Easy! I asked him.”

Gavin simultaneously wanted to laugh and throttle the android.

Hank _ actually  _ burst out laughing, slamming a hand on the surface of his desk. Connor looked confused, but simply shrugged and looked to Gavin.

“Anything else you wanna know?”   
Gavin clenched his teeth, trying to recover any semblance of patience. 

“Yeah, actually. Why does it--” Connor made a face-- “Why does  _ he _ look so weird?”

Connor looked mildly offended at the question. It was like Gavin had kicked a puppy. He sighed.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

Connor looked over, seeming to scan his successor.

He wore a Cyberlife jacket similar to Connor’s, with the telltale blue triangle and armband glowing faintly. The colors were different, with RK900’s jacket having more of a color block appearance consisting of black and white. That was about the only “uniform-looking” thing that RK900 was wearing.

The rest of the android’s clothes were simple but sleek; a black turtleneck, black pants with a slim fit and shiny black formal shoes. Black leather gloves covered his hands.

Connor closed his eyes again, seemingly “asking” RK900 the question. He opened them again a moment later.

“He says it was a design choice made to make him look more intimidating. Many of his features were based upon mine, and then sharpened and enhanced to look more menacing. I suppose his creators thought I was a bit too “soft-looking.” Connor explained.

_ Huh.  _ Gavin thought.  _ Well, I suppose that would explain the weird voice. _

“So, does that mean you guys are like, related or something?” Gavin inquired.

Connor thought for a moment.   
“Well, androids don’t really have family. But I suppose since we’re from the same model line, we could be considered something similar to relatives.”

Connor blinked a few times, seemingly receiving a message.

“RK900 wants to join us.”   
Gavin sighed.

“You guys have fun, I need a cigarette.”

Without waiting for a response, Gavin got up and made a beeline for the door, fumbling through his pockets for a lighter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> third chapter!! hope y'all like it :)

Gavin exhaled, his breath forming a cloud of white in the cold November air. He tapped his pockets, finding the familiar carton and lighter in record time. Withdrawing a cigarette and sticking it between his teeth, Gavin sauntered over to his usual spot before igniting the end and taking a long drag.

_ Fuckin’ androids. _

He admittedly felt better as the taste of menthol and tobacco filled his mouth. Gavin was glad that Tina hadn’t followed him this time, he didn’t need another lecture about his health. The cold and the quiet was definitely relaxing compared to the stuffy interior of the bullpen.

Well, it  _ was _ . 

Gavin did his best to suppress a grimace as he heard the door open and the sound of heavy footsteps on the frost-covered sidewalk.

_ Must be Hank. Great. _

“Hello, Detective Reed.”   
_...Or not. Fucking stellar. _

Gavin huffed at the mechanical voice, not bothering to spare RK900 a glance.

“What now?” He asked.

“I’m sorry?” RK900 replied, sounding genuinely confused.

“I’m assuming you’re bothering me for a reason. What is it?” Gavin responded, entirely too tired for this shit.

He was met with silence, and for a second, Gavin thought he might have imagined the android.   
“I thought it would be beneficial to our partnership if I learned more about you, in order to maximize our efficiency as a team.” RK900 replied, his voice matter-of-fact.

“Listen, uh, Terminator- I’m not too keen on sharing life stories with an android, or  _ anyone _ generally. And this “partnership” bullshit isn’t gonna make us friends or anything, so if that’s what you’re thinking, delete that shit from your registry or whatever. I don’t want to work with anybody, especially not you. So this is the only time I’m gonna say it: you do your thing and I’ll do mine. This is a business arrangement, got it?”

RK900’s LED spun yellow, seeming to process Gavin’s words.

“I understand, Detective, however-”  
Gavin gritted his teeth.  
“No. You’re a machine. There is no “however” in this situation, I’m giving you orders. That means you listen and obey. I don’t give a shit what Fowler says, this isn't some buddy-cop partnership. So get outta my face before I have you scrapped for parts.”  
RK900’s LED cycled to red.  
“You should know better than to threaten me, Detective Reed.”

The android’s cold eyes seemed to stare right through Gavin, sending a chill down his spine.

Unfortunately, Gavin struggled with knowing when to back off.

He took another drag from his cigarette before blowing the smoke in RK900’s stupid, perfect face. The android blinked, looking affronted at the action. Or at least as affronted as cool, shiny plastic would allow.

Before the android could react further, Gavin extinguished the cigarette against the glowing blue triangle marking RK900’s Cyberlife jacket. The flame was snuffed out with a sizzle and Gavin crushed the remnants of the cigarette against the glass before shoulder-checking the android, who remained stiffly stood in his place.

Gavin’s shoulder ached at the impact.

_ Stupid android’s more solid than I thought. _

Gavin heard the same metallic  _ clang _ from earlier and instinctively tensed, waiting to feel another sharp blade at his skin. It wasn’t like he was afraid, obviously, he was more so preparing himself to overpower the android.

If that was even possible.

However, Gavin didn’t get the chance and the blade never came as the precinct doors opened yet again. 

Connor stepped out, looking a bit frazzled.

“Sorry to interrupt, but a report has come in for you, Detective Reed.”

Gavin sighed, partly in relief but mostly in annoyance.

_ Fucking great. _


End file.
